John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855
– November 26, 1926) was an American
firearm
A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions).
The first firearms originate ...
designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms,
cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world.
He made his first firearm at age 13 in his father's gun shop and was awarded the first of his 128 firearm patents on October 7, 1879, at the age of 24.
He is regarded as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 19th and 20th centuries and a pioneer of modern
repeating,
semi-automatic, and
automatic
Automatic may refer to:
Music Bands
* Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band
* Automatic (American band), American rock band
* The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band
Albums
* ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...
firearms.
Browning influenced nearly all categories of firearms design, especially the autoloading of ammunition. He invented, or made significant improvements to, single-shot,
lever-action
The toggle-link action used in the iconic Winchester Model 1873 rifle, one of the most famous lever-action firearms
Picture showing a Volcanic Pistol
A lever action is a type of action for repeating firearms that uses a manually operated cocki ...
, and
pump-action
Pump action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by moving a sliding handguard on the gun's forestock. When shooting, the sliding forend is pulled rearward to eject any expended cartridge (firearms), cartridge and typically to co ...
rifles and shotguns. He developed the first reliable and compact
autoloading pistols by inventing the
telescoping bolt
A telescoping bolt (also known as an overhung bolt) is a firearm bolt which telescopes over, that is, wraps around and past, the breech end of the barrel. This feature reduces the required length of a weapon such as a submachine gun significan ...
, then integrating the bolt and
barrel shroud into what is known as the
pistol slide. Browning's telescoping bolt design is now found on nearly every modern
semi-automatic pistol
A semi-automatic pistol (also called a self-loading pistol, autopistol, or autoloading pistol) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridge (firearms), cartridges in its chamber (firearms), chamber afte ...
, as well as several modern
fully automatic weapons. He also developed the first
gas-operated
Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate locked breech, Semi-automatic firearm, autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high-pressure gas from the Cartridge (firearms), cartridge being fired is used t ...
firearm, the
Colt–Browning Model 1895 machine guna system that surpassed mechanical
recoil operation
Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used to implement locked-breech autoloading firearms. Recoil operated firearms use the energy of recoil to cycle the action, as opposed to gas operation or blowback operation using the pressure of th ...
to become the standard for most high-power self-loading firearm designs worldwide. He also made significant contributions to
automatic cannon development.
Browning's most successful designs include the
M1911 pistol
The Colt M1911 (also known as 1911, Colt 1911, Colt .45, or Colt Government in the case of Colt-produced models) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered primarily for the .45 ACP cartridge.
History
Early histo ...
, the water-cooled
M1917, the air-cooled
M1919, and
heavy M2 machine guns, the
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, and the
Browning Auto-5
The Browning Automatic 5, most often Auto-5 or simply A-5, is a Recoil operation, recoil-operated semi-automatic shotgun designed by John Browning and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. It was the first successful semi-automatic shotg ...
the first
semi-automatic shotgun. Some of these arms are still manufactured, often with only minor changes in detail and cosmetics to those assembled by Browning or his licensees. The Browning-designed M1911 and
Hi-Power are some of the most copied firearms in the world.
Early life and craftsmanship
Browning's father
Jonathan—who was among the thousands of
pioneers of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
who made an exodus from
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its h ...
, to
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
—established a
gunsmith
A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very ...
shop in Ogden in 1852. As was common in the
Mormon church community at the time, Jonathan Browning was a
polygamist
Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...
, having taken three wives. He fathered 22 children, including John Moses, and raised two stepdaughters with his wife Elizabeth Caroline Clark.
Browning worked in his father's Ogden shop from the age of seven, where he was taught basic engineering and manufacturing principles, and encouraged to experiment with new concepts. He developed his first rifle, a
single-shot
In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have ...
falling block action design while he was still his father's apprentice, then, in 1878, in partnership with his younger brother, co-founded John Moses and Matthew Sandefur Browning Company, later renamed
Browning Arms Company
Browning Arms Company (originally John Moses and Matthew Sandefur Browning Company) is an American marketer of firearms and fishing gear. The company was founded in Ogden, Utah, in 1878 by brothers John Moses Browning (1855–1926) and M ...
. The company began producing the brothers' designs and other non-military firearms. By 1882, the company employed John and Matthew's half-brothers Jonathan (1859–1939), Thomas (1860–1943), William (1862–1919), and George (1866–1948).
Like his father, Browning was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served a two-year
mission in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
beginning on March 28, 1887.
He married Rachel Theresa Child (September 14, 1860 – September 30, 1934) on April 10, 1879, in Ogden, Weber County, Utah Territory, and the couple had 10 children, two of whom died in infancy.
Firearm designs
Production examples of the Browning Model 1878 Single Shot Rifle caught the attention of the
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American manufacturer of repeating firearms and ammunition. The firm was established in 1866 by Oliver Winchester and was located in New Haven, Connecticut. The firm went into receivership ...
, who dispatched a representative to evaluate the competition. Winchester bought the design for $8,000 and moved production to their
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
factory. From 1883, Browning worked in partnership with Winchester and designed a series of rifles and shotguns, most notably the lever action
Winchester Model 1887 and the
Model 1897 pump shotgun, the falling-block single-shot
Model 1885, and the lever-action
Model 1886,
Model 1892,
Model 1894,
Model 1895 rifles. After falling out with Winchester, Browning designed the
long recoil operated semi-automatic
Remington Model 8 rifle. Many of the models are still in production today in some form; over six million Model 1894s had been produced as of 1983, more than any other sporting rifle in history.
Winchester manufactured several popular small arms designed by John M. Browning. For decades in the late 19th century-early 20th century, Browning designs and Winchester firearms were synonymous and the collaboration was highly successful. This came to an end when Browning proposed a new
long recoil operated semi-automatic shotgun design, a prototype finished in 1898, to Winchester management, which ultimately became the Browning Auto-5 shotgun. As was the custom of the time, Browning's earlier designs had been sold exclusively to Winchester for a single fee payment. With this new product, Browning and his brother Matthew sought royalties based upon unit sales, rather than a single front-end fee payment. If the new shotgun became highly successful, the Browning company stood to make substantially more income. Winchester management, which had agreed to royalties for an earlier Browning shotgun design that was never manufactured, now refused to accede to the Brownings' terms. Remington Arms also was approached but the president of the company died of a heart attack while the Brownings were waiting to offer him the gun. Remington would later produce a copy of the Auto-5 as the Model 11 which was used by the US Military and was also sold to the civilian market.
Having recently successfully negotiated firearm licenses with
Fabrique Nationale de Herstal of Belgium (FN), Browning took the new shotgun design to FN; the offer was accepted and FN manufactured the new shotgun, honoring its inventor, as the Browning Auto-5. The Browning Auto-5 was continuously manufactured as a highly popular shotgun throughout the 20th century. In response, Winchester shifted reliance away from John Browning designs when it adopted a shotgun design of
Thomas Crossley Johnson for the new Winchester Model 1911 SL, (Johnson had to work around Browning's patents of what became the Auto-5) and the new Model 1912 pump shotgun, which was based in small part upon design features of the earlier Browning-designed Winchester Model 1897 shotgun. This shift marked the end of an era of Winchester-Browning collaboration.
Later work and life

John Browning was known as a dedicated and tireless innovator and experimenter who sought breakthrough consumer-oriented features and performance and reliability improvements in small arms designs. He did not retire in his later years but dedicated his entire adult life literally to his last day to these pursuits. On November 26, 1926, while working at the bench on a self-loading pistol design for
Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN) in
Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
, he died of heart failure in the design shop of his son
Val A. Browning. Even the 9 mm semi-automatic pistol he was working on when he died had great design merit and was eventually completed in 1935 by Belgian designer
Dieudonné Saive. Released as the Fabrique Nationale GP35, it was more popularly known as the successful
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol available in the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at FN Herstal. ...
pistol, a favorite of sportsmen and gun collectors as well as many military and law enforcement agencies around the world.
The premium-priced
Browning Superposed shotgun, an over-under shotgun design, was his last completed firearm design. It was marketed originally with twin triggers; a single trigger modification was later completed by his son, Val Browning. Commercially introduced in 1931 by FN,
Browning Superposed shotguns, and their more affordable cousins, the
Browning Citori made in Asia, continue to be manufactured into the 21st century and come with varying grades of fine hand engraving and premium quality wood.
Throughout his life, Browning designed a vast array of military and civilian small arms for his own company, as well as for
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
,
Colt,
Remington,
Savage,
Stevens, and
Fabrique Nationale de Herstal of Belgium. Browning firearms have been made, both licensed and unlicensed, by hundreds of factories around the world.
Browning Arms Company
Browning Arms Company (originally John Moses and Matthew Sandefur Browning Company) is an American marketer of firearms and fishing gear. The company was founded in Ogden, Utah, in 1878 by brothers John Moses Browning (1855–1926) and M ...
was established in 1927, the year after Browning's death on November 26, 1926, in Liège, Belgium. In 1977, FN Herstal acquired the company.
Legacy
The
M1895 Machine Gun saw action in the
Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
with the United States Marine Corps. The
Colt M1911,
Browning 1917/19, and the
BAR saw action with US forces in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
,
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. The M1911 went on to serve as the U.S.'s standard military
side arm until 1986; a
variant is still used by
special operations units of the United States Marine Corps and the design remains very popular among civilian shooters and some police departments. The
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol available in the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at FN Herstal. ...
has had a similarly lengthy period of military service outside the United States. The .50 caliber
M2 Browning machine gun
The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chamber ...
– the enduring "Ma Deuce" – was developed in 1918, entered service with the US Armed Forces in 1921, and has remained in active service for over a century with militaries across the world in a variety of roles. The 37mm
M4 autocannon was initially designed by Browning in 1921 and entered service in 1938; it was used both in aircraft and on
U.S. Navy PT boat
A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...
s during World War II.
Products
Several of Browning's designs are still in production today. Some of his most notable designs include:
; Cartridges:
*
.25 ACP
*
.32 ACP
*
.38 ACP
*
.380 ACP
*
.45 ACP
*
.50 BMG
*
9mm Browning Long
The 9mm Browning Long, also known as the 9×20mmSR, is a military centerfire pistol cartridge developed in 1903 for the FN Model 1903 adopted by Belgium, France, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Sweden.Janson, O"Browning pistol M1903 becomes Swedi ...
; Pistols:
*
FN M1899/M1900 (.32 ACP)
*
Colt Model 1900 (.38 ACP)
*
Colt Model 1902 (.38 ACP)
*
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer
The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammer was a short-recoil, semi-automatic pistol, designed by the American arms designer John Browning. It was a compact version of the Colt Model 1902 Sporting Model pistol derived from the original Colt M1900. The ...
(.38 ACP)
*
FN Model 1903
The FN Model 1903 (M1903, FN Mle 1903), or Browning No.2 is a semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and manufactured by Belgian arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale (FN). It was introduced in 1903 and fired the 9×20mmSR Browning Lon ...
(
9mm Browning Long
The 9mm Browning Long, also known as the 9×20mmSR, is a military centerfire pistol cartridge developed in 1903 for the FN Model 1903 adopted by Belgium, France, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Sweden.Janson, O"Browning pistol M1903 becomes Swedi ...
)
*
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless
The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless is a .32 ACP, .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning) caliber, self-loading, semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and built by Colt's Manufacturing Company, Colt Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company of Hartford ...
(.32 ACP)
*
FN Model 1906 Vest Pocket (.25 ACP)
*
Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket (.25 ACP)
*
Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless (.380 ACP)
*
FN Model 1910 (.32 ACP, .380 ACP)
*
FN Model 1922 (.32 ACP) and (.380 ACP)
*
U.S. M1911 pistol (.45 ACP)
*
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol available in the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at FN Herstal. ...
(
9mm Parabellum
This is a list of firearm cartridges that have bullets in the to caliber range.
*''Case length'' refers to the round case
Case or CASE may refer to:
Instances
* Instantiation (disambiguation), a realization of a concept, theme, or design
...
) started by Browning but completed by
Dieudonné Saive at
FN Herstal
, trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale, or simply FN, is a leading firearms manufacturer based in Herstal, Belgium, and former vehicle manufacturer. It was the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe .
FN ...
*
Colt Woodsman pistol (
.22 LR)
; Shotguns:
*
Ithaca Model 37 pump-action repeating shotgun
*
Stevens Model 520/620 pump-action repeating shotgun
*
Winchester Model 1887 lever-action repeating shotgun
*
Winchester Model 1893 pump-action repeating shotgun
*
Winchester Model 1897
The Winchester Model 1897, also known as the Model 97, M97, Riot Gun, or Trench Gun, is a pump-action shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The Model 1897 was an evolution of th ...
pump-action repeating shotgun
*
Winchester Model 1912 pump-action repeating shotgun
*
Browning Auto-5
The Browning Automatic 5, most often Auto-5 or simply A-5, is a Recoil operation, recoil-operated semi-automatic shotgun designed by John Browning and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. It was the first successful semi-automatic shotg ...
long-recoil semi-automatic shotgun, also produced as Savage Model 720
*
Browning Superposed over/under shotgun
*
Remington Model 17 pump-action repeating shotgun
; Rifles:
*
Winchester Model 1885 falling-block single-shot rifle
*
Winchester Model 1886 lever-action repeating rifle
*
Winchester Model 1890 slide-action repeating rifle (
.22 LR)
*
Winchester Model 1892 lever-action repeating rifle
*
Winchester Model 1894 lever-action repeating rifle
*
Winchester Model 1895 lever-action repeating rifle
*
Winchester Model 1900 bolt-action single-shot rifle (.22 LR)
*
Remington Model 8 semi-auto rifle
*
Browning 22 Semi-Auto rifle (.22 LR)
*
Remington Model 24 semi-auto rifle (.22 LR)
*
FN Trombone pump-action rifle (.22 LR)
*
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR)
; Machine guns:
*
M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun
The Colt–Browning M1895, nicknamed "potato digger" because of its unusual operating mechanism, is an air-cooled, belt-fed, gas-operated machine gun that fires from a closed bolt with a cyclic rate of 450 rounds per minute. Based on an 1889 desi ...
air-cooled gas-operated machine gun
*
M1917 Browning machine gun water-cooled recoil-operated machine gun
*
M1919 Browning machine gun
The M1919 Browning is a .30-06 Springfield, .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The M1919 saw service as a light infantry, coaxial weap ...
air-cooled recoil-operated machine gun
*
M2 Browning
The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered ...
machine gun
.50-caliber heavy machine gun
*
M4 cannon 37mm Automatic Gun, work lapsed on death and not restarted until 1934
Selected patents
*
Winchester 1885 single-shot rifle, Browning's first patent
*
Winchester 1886 and
Model 71 lever-action rifles
*
Winchester Model 1887/1901 lever-action shotgun
*
Winchester 1890 pump-action rifle
* Winchester 1893 and
1897
Events
January
* January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City.
* January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a punitive expedit ...
pump-action shotguns
*
Winchester 1892 lever-action rifle
*
Winchester 1894 lever-action rifle
*
Colt–Browning Model 1895 machine gun
*
Winchester 1895 lever-action rifle
*
Colt 1900 automatic pistol
*
Winchester 1900 bolt-action single-shot .22 rifle
*
Browning Auto-5
The Browning Automatic 5, most often Auto-5 or simply A-5, is a Recoil operation, recoil-operated semi-automatic shotgun designed by John Browning and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. It was the first successful semi-automatic shotg ...
shotgun, also Remington Model 11 and Savage 720
*
Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle
*
M1917 Browning machine gun
*
Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless
The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless is a .32 ACP, .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning) caliber, self-loading, semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and built by Colt's Manufacturing Company, Colt Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company of Hartford ...
automatic pistol
*
Stevens 520 pump-action shotgun
* Colt Model 1905 in
.45 ACP (predecessor to the
M1911)
* FN Model 1906 and
Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket in
.25 ACP
*
Colt 1911
*
Browning 22 Semi-Auto rifle and
Remington model 24
*
Remington Model 17 and
Ithaca 37 pump-action shotguns
*
Colt Woodsman
*
Browning Automatic Rifle Model of 1918
* FN "Trombone" pump action .22 caliber repeater (Rare in USA)
* 37 mm automatic cannons, M1 and
M4
*
Browning Superposed over/under shotgun
* FN and
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol available in the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at FN Herstal. ...
pistol
*
M2 Browning machine gun
The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chamber ...
in
.50 BMG
See also
*
Browning Arms Company
Browning Arms Company (originally John Moses and Matthew Sandefur Browning Company) is an American marketer of firearms and fishing gear. The company was founded in Ogden, Utah, in 1878 by brothers John Moses Browning (1855–1926) and M ...
*
John Moses Browning House
*
Charles Petter
*
Sig Holding
*
SIG Sauer
SIG Sauer is since the 1970s a combined brand name of several Firearms manufacturing companies, with SIG referring to ''Swiss Industry Group'' originally founded 1853, while the latter part comes from Sauer & Sohn, founded in 1751 in Germany a ...
References
General sources
* Browning, John, and Curt Gentry (1964)
''John M. Browning, American Gunmaker''"> ''John M. Browning, American Gunmaker'' New York: Doubleday. .
External links
The Ogden Union Station Browning Museum1911 Pistol Photo Reference Site Past Items Sold at Auction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Browning, John
1855 births
1926 deaths
19th-century American inventors
20th-century American inventors
Ammunition designers
Gunsmiths
Firearm designers
Businesspeople from Ogden, Utah
American Mormon missionaries in the United States
19th-century Mormon missionaries
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Weapon designers